Agency :
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho declared on Friday that his priority is to make the best use of top scorer Diego Costa, not protect the striker for the Spanish national team.
And he admitted that he fears the demands of playing two international games in four days could have an unhelpful effect on Costa’s current hamstring problems.
Mourinho acknowledges that he will be taking a risk with Costa’s fitness when he selects the striker to face Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
The Portuguese says Costa is still struggling with the problem he sustained on international duty with Spain last month, when he was forced to return to his club after injuring himself against France.
Costa has once again been called up by his national side for their Euro 2016 qualifying games with Slovakia on October 9 and Luxembourg on October 12.
But Mourinho says he will start with Costa when the Premier League’s two remaining unbeaten clubs meet on Sunday, despite the striker having played against Aston Villa last Saturday and Sporting Lisbon in mid-week.
“My reaction that he’s in the Spanish squad is no reaction. It’s something I could already imagine. It’s not a surprise for me,” Mourinho told his weekly press conference.
“Can he play three matches in a week? I think it’s too much, but he’s going to do that. Why is he going to do that? Because I’m not going to save him to be in perfect conditions for the national team.
“So, if he has a problem playing against Arsenal, he has a problem for Chelsea. This was a big week for us, three crucial matches, and I had to go with everybody in Lisbon.
“Against Arsenal, also an important match and the last one of this busy period, he plays.”
